School Committee Highlights - Nov 13th

November 13, 2006 School Committee Meeting Highlights

Did you know that Scituate Public Schools has an in-school band program for woodwinds and percussion but no program for string instruments?

Did you know that Scituate Public Schools has submitted a Letter of Interest to the MA School Building Authority for financial assistance with renovations to Gates School?

How secure are our schools? Are the students and staff as safe as they should be?

All of these questions plus others were addressed during the November 13th School Committee Meeting. Read on for a summary of the meeting…

SPECIAL MATTERS:

String Music Instruction Grades 4 and 5 - - Mr. William Richter, Program Specialist for Music K-12, asked the Board to consider adding a formal in-school program for string instruments. Currently, only wind and percussion or “band” instruction is offered during school hours. Speaking along with Mr. Richter in support of this request were Ben Strafe, 11th Grade Scituate High School Student and Lynn Donnelly, a parent. Lynn presented a petition signed by 87 Scituate residents and also read a letter from Joyce Barthold, a parent in support of this request. Supporters feel that students who choose to play a string instrument are being discriminated against for the following reasons:
· Band is offered as part of curriculum but orchestra is not.
· After-school string music instruction is offered but the students/parents pay a fee for this instruction and need to make arrangements to provide transportation to and from this instruction.
· Some students have left Scituate schools to pursue string music instruction.
· Norwell, Hingham, Duxbury and Marshfield all offer string music instruction.
In order to run this program, Mr. Richter estimates needing five or six part-time staff people and instruments.

The Board responded by stating that, as much as the program is needed and should be supported, there are no funds for it at this time. If Mr. Richter and Mr. Mason will put together a financial proposal for the program, it can be included in a future proposed budget. The Board cautioned, however, that due to the limitations of Proposition 2 ½, it could only be included in a budget that would require an override.

Additional Commentary: Board member, Ed Tibbets, commented that if we fund the system with an override, we would all have what we need. He addressed the audience pleading with them to attend not only committee meetings but also advisory committee meetings. Other board members supported his statements. Communication within the school community and to the public is essential.

School Building Authority Requirements and Deadlines - - Mr. Robert Murray, Facilities Manager presented the status of and requirements for funding from the MA School Building Authority for renovations to Gates. A Statement of Interest has been filed with this authority and is pending. Mr. Murray hopes that the authority is pushing it along to prepare for Town Meeting this spring. Then, there are at least another 10 steps to complete. This is at least a 12-month process.

Safety Concerns for Schools - - Board members, Michael Hayes and Libby Michaud are meeting to discuss security issues within and outside the six schools. All agree it needs to be addressed. They will prepare a full spectrum of needs from state of the art to what is currently in place. They need public support because we can’t afford not to upgrade security. They are concerned not only with the physical safety of the students but also the emotional safety of the staff and students. They need to feel SAFE! The Board will work with Mr. Mason to produce a list of priorities. Improvements will be added to the proposed capital-planning budget.

ROUTINE MATTERS:
October Enrollment - - Mr. Mark Mason, Superintendent stated that there was not much fluctuation in enrollment last month. The October 1, 2006 numbers broken down by class/building remain relatively flat. Projections call for a 1% annual increase.

Out-of-State Field Trip Request - - Ms. Nadia Swartz, Gates Teacher, requested permission for an annual trip on June 1, 2007 to Canopie Lake, NH for 190 Gates Band & Chorus members for educational critique and workshop. She considers the trip a motivational and educational reward. The Board approved the trip.

Full-Day Kindergarten Grant - - Mr. Mark Mason, Superintendent stated that, for the second year in a row, he would like to apply for a $15,000 grant from the State to pilot full day Kindergarten. The Grant is typically awarded to urban areas and not likely to be given to Scituate. The Board approved the application.

Acceptance of Gifts – The Board accepted the following gifts to the schools:

(1) A donation of 2 Overhead Projectors from Mr. Kevin Sparks to the Gates
Intermediate School Media Department
(2) A donation of $75.00 from Mrs. Janet Travers, President of Scituate Health
Services to the Cushing School Nurse’s office. The School Nurse plans to
purchase a vision testing system.
(3) A donation of an Orion Telescope from Mr. William Luzader, South Shore
Astronomical Society, to the Cushing School.

The Board commented about the generosity of parents and friends of Scituate Public Schools.

(Five Minutes) Comments or Statements from the Public

Superintendent's Reports -- Mr. Mason informed the Committee of the Grandparents
Tea at the Wampatuck School and of a Target Corporate
Grant that was awarded to the Wampatuck School.

Sub-Committee Reports—Libby Michaud, chair of the Communications sub-committee reports that the CSI Scituate blog is up and running. The organizers of the blog are looking for help screening and answering questions. A newsletter will be distributed introducing the blog and encouraging participation. She feels it’s a “good day to be in Scituate” with many changes happening. Anyone interested in helping CSI Scituate can contact Libby or Barbara Lydon.

The finance committee will wait for the capital planning meeting to provide a report.

Personnel: The board accepted various resignations, transfers and appointments. A full list can be found in the official meeting minutes.

Future Agenda Items – Mr. Mason will follow up with a financial proposal for the 4th and 5th Grade Strings Music Program and a vision statement for security for all six school buildings.

Public Budget Session & on-going Budget Timeline post

Mark Mason's budget presentation to the School Committee is posted to the school website on the home page. The budget timeline is posted on the Superintendent's page.

The Public Budget Session is televised currently on Chan 22 - it is worth watching to gain an understanding of the budget. It is over 4 hours in length. The folks at Chan 22 are looking in to ways to break it down in to 4 parts so folks can watch part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.

Dec 4th Joint PTO/School Council Meeting

The Dec 4th Joint PTO/School Council Meeting summary is posted to the school website on the home page. A lot of interesting things were discussed. The summary is long so we will not post it here unless requested.

It is also televised on Channell 22 the Education Access Channell.

CSI Scituate Newsletter

The CSI Scituate Newsletters are planned for distribution to the entire community in January 2007 (2 4-page newsletters)

CSI Chair’s Message (Lydon & Mohr)
Newsletter written for the community by the community. Call for action to the community to
(1) educate themselves on the issues by reading the newsletter and getting on the websites AND (2) provide their input/feedback by participating in the blog and survey. Funded collaboratively – SEA, Gates PTO and others (we hope for SHORE and the 4 elementary PTO’s to fund approx. $100 each).

Superintendent’s Message (Mason):
Honest discussion of obstacles faced in the past few years, goals of School Committee and administration and call for action by the community for action and resources.

School Committee Message (Michaud):
Information on School Committee roles & responsibilities; the new sub-committees, particularly communication sub-committee; limitations (not able to meet unless public) and danger of mis-information.
Selectman’s Message (Pollard - liaison to School Committee)

Curriculum/Assistant Superintendent’s Q&A (Kelleher):
Q&A related to role, key initiatives (ELA, report card and grading system) and MCAS scores.

Finance/Budget Q&A (Donlan):
Q&A related to budget – how does it work?; how does capital planning fit in?; what are the sources of funds?; and what is the community’s role in the budget process?

Special Education Q&Q (Norton):
Special Education Budget

President of the Scituate Teacher’s Association Q&A (Laura Lawson)

High School Student Message (Kelcie Sweeney) - students have a voice

Senior Citizen Message (Val Baker) – seniors support the schools

Collaborative Efforts – Joint PTO/School Council Meetings (on-going) & PTO presidents getting together to discuss best practices and joint fundraising

What is CSI?
Blog, Mariner, Survey

FACTS, FACTS, FACTS, such as:
Town to town comparison - Per pupil expenditure, teacher salaries, student/teacher ratio, tax rate
Scituate student population has grown X%, yet our school budget has only grown X%
What are our fees compared to other towns? (bus, parking)

Websites – where to go for information